Safe



APPLICATION FILED JULY [9.1920.

P. S. IVIILLICE.

SAFE.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922,

P. S. MILLICE.

SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 19.1920.

1,404,043, Patented m1411922,

4247 0 o o LI/ 17% I H P. S. MILLICE.

SAFE.

APPLICATION HLED1ULYI9.1S20.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

3 SMU'. SWSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.I

PAUL S. MILLICE, 0F HAMILTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HERRING-HALL-MARVIN SAFE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

SAFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

Application filed July 19, 1920. Serial No. 397,287.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, PAUL S. MILLICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, in the county of Butler and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safes, and has for its object the provision of novel means for enpancing the {ire-resisting qualities of a sa e.

I have found that one of the great considerations for enhancing the fire-resisting qualities of a safe is to prevent passage of gases, oxygen or air, or a circulation, through the joints at the door or doors of the safe.

Attempts have heretofore been made to accompllsh this purpose, but these have been found wanting when the safe has been subjected to comparatively severe tests or fires.

By means of my invention the fire-resisting qualities of a safe are very materially enhanced, as has been demonstrated by very severe tests. A

It is the object of my invention to provide a safe with novel means for closing the joint between the wall of the door-opening and the door, whereby to enhance the fire-resisting properties of the safe; further, to provide a safe with novel means of the character mentioned at the joint so constructed and arranged that the passage of air, oxygen or gases ast the joint, or circulation through the jolnt, while subjected to the heat of a fire, is substantially prevented; further,l to provide novel means so arranged that warping of metal during the course of a fire will tend. to exert pressure between complemental faces in the joint to cause more intimate closing of the joint between said faces; and, further, to provide a safe with coengaging lapping wedge-walls in the joint.

The inventionwill be further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of a safe embodying my invention, taken in the plane of the line 1 -1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same,

taken in the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is avvertical cross-section ofthe same, taken in the plane of the line 3 3 of Fifr. l; and,

IFig. 4 is a horizontal section of a safe emodying my invention and having a single oor.

I herein show and describe an exemplifcation of my invention, and herein broadly claim my invention. I have in another apprlication for patent, Serial No. 397,288, filed uly 19, 1920, copending with this application, shown, described and claimed a further adapltation of my invention.

T e body of the safe is shown at 21, as comprising an inner wall 22 and an outer wall 23, preferably of sheet-metal, forming a cavity between said inner and outer walls, for instance at the sides, top, bottom and back of the safe, in which suitable fire-resisting material may be located in suitable manner. This cavity is shown as containing a fire-resisting body 25 of suitable comat 27 and 28, respectively hinged to the body by hinges 29, 30, the pivot-pins of which are shown at 31, 32.

Each of the doors comprises a front wall 35, a rear wall 36, and an edge or marginal Wall 37 surrounding the door, to form a cavity in the door, in which a suitable fireresisting body 38 is placed, as desired, preferably to provide a bolt-Work and lock space 39.

The door-opening is shown at 41. The wall 42 of the door-opening, and the man ginal wall 37 of the door, are provided with complemental fire-resisting means. An exempliiication of my invention is shown, which may be selectively located at the hinge edge of the door, at the swinging edge of the door, at the top of the door, at the bottom of the door, or between the doors, or at all of said locations, so as to surround the door, as may be desired. V

Thsthe wall of the door-opening is exemplified of sheet-metal, for instance, sheetsteel, and is shown formed with forwardly projecting wedge-like. rib 46 and a rearwardly projecting wedge-shaped groove 47. The marginal wall of the door coacting with the marginal wall of the door-opening is provided with a rearwardly projecting wedge-like rib 48 and a wedge-shaped groove 49. The rearwardly projecting wedge-like rib 48 coasts with the forwardly joint, when projecting wedge-like rib 46 of the wall Aof the door-opening. The wall. of the dooropening and the margin of the door have complemental faces which coact with pressure between them to form a tightjoint between the margin of the door and the wall of the door-opening when the door is closed. Complemental inc ined faces are grovlded respectively for the margin of the oor and the wall of the door-opening which form a seal when the Ydoor is closed. V

The complemental coacting faces preferably extend slantingly with relation to the plane of the door when the door 1s closed, and are preferably located at an acute angle in an acute angle to said plane, and referably slant forwardly toward the m1 dle of the door when the door is closed.

The complemental coacting faces preferably exert lateral pressure upon one another for instance in the general dlrection of the plane of the door, to form a close the door is closed, the pressure the face on the door being preferably in a direction toward the middle portion ofthe door, so as to normally urge the wall of the door-opening towardI the door exerted by when the door is closed.

In the present exemplification the wall of the door-opening is provided with afront laterally outwardly extendlng ange 51,

fixedly secured to the front wing of the front angle-plate 26, as by rivets or welding, with a filler-strip 50 between the flange and plate. At the inner edge of th1s ange,

'the sheet metal of the wall of the dooropening is bent rearwardly to form a rearwardly and inwardly slanting portion 52, at the rear end of which latter there is a forward lateral inward bend to form a portion 53, which coacts with the ortion 52 to form-the wedge-groove 47. t the foward end of said portion 53, the sheetmetal is provided with a bend to form a rearwardlyy and laterally and inwardly extending portion 54 which, with the portion 53, forms the wedge-like rib 46.

At the rear end of the portion 54 the wall of the door-opening is provided with a bend to form a shoulder 55 and a laterally outwardly extending portion 56. At the outer edge of the latter the wall is provided with a rearward bend to form a rearwardly extending portion 57. The rear edge of the latter, is provided with an inward bend to form a laterally inwardly extending Bange 58. The rearwardly extending portion 57 is preferably fixedly secured, as by weldis exemplified as having a front laterally and inwardly extending flange 61, at the outer edge of which there is a bend to form a .rearwardly and inwardly slanting portion 62, at the rear end of which there is a bend to form a forwardly and inwardly laterally slanting portion 63, to form the wedge-like rearwardly projecting rib v48. At the front edge of the latter there is a rearward bend to form a rearwardly laterally and inwardly rojecting portion 64, which coacts with t e portion 63 to form the wedge-shaped groove 49.

At the rear edge of the portion 64 there is a lateral inward bend to form a laterally inwardly extending portion 65, at the inner edge of which there is a bend to form a rearwardly extending portion 66, at the rear end of which latter there is a lateral inwardly extendin flange 67, to which the rea'r plate 36 of t e door may be suitably secured, as by screws 68. The portions 65 and 66 form a recess in which the ends of the bolts are' normally located when the bolts are withdrawn for opening the door.

The wall of the door-opening and the margin of the door are preferably formed up out of sheet-steel by pressing or other suitable method.

The front wall 35 of the door preferably laps the front end of the joint between the -door and wall of the door-opening at the hinge-edge of the door, as shown at 71.

The front wall of the door vis suitably rigidly secured to the flanges 61, as by rivets' formed similarly to the wall of the dooropening, the parts being indicated by similar but primed reference numerals, except that the flange 58 is turned the reverse way to project toward the middle portion of the door. The portions 56 and 57 form a recess inl which the ends of the bolts between the doors are normally located when the bolts are withdrawn for opening the doors.

Coacting faces are formed at the joint between the doors which coact similarly to the faces 53, 63, and preferably act with lateral pressure to form a close joint between the doors, and act to hold the doors toward each other when the doors are closed.

When a safe is vprovided with a single door, exemplified at 70, (see Fig. 4), the construction of the wall of the door-opening and of the margin of the door, at the swinging end of the door, may be similar to the structures described with reference to the double-door safe.

Suitable means are provided for holding the door or doors in' closed relation. Thus,

bolts 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 and 7 9, are provided to coact with the shoulders 55 of the Wall of the door-opening, the ends of the bolts coacting with the shoulders being provided with inclined faces 81 coacting wlth sa1d shoulders to draw the doors inwardly, whereby lateral pressure in the direction of the plane of the door is caused between the complemental inclined faces between -the door and the wall of the door-opening. Bolts 82, also having inclined Wedge-faces 81, act between the doors when double doors are employed. Suitable operating means and locking means are provided for the bolts, not more particularly described because well-known.

Experience has shown that when a safe is subjected to the intense heat of a fire, there is a tendency of the walls of the door-opening to spread and to separate from the door, thereby forming a passage for gases, or c1rculation, at the joint between the wall of the door-opening and the margin of the door. This tendency is resisted in my invention, in which the forwardly projecting face 53 is received to the inside of the rearwardly projecting face 63, preferably with pressure tending to increase pressure between said complemental faces so as to more firmly close the joint between the wall of the door-opening and the door. When a double door is employed there is a similar action at the joint between the doors when employing my invention.

In my improved construction the forwardly and lnwardly slanting sheet-metal walls or faces of the body, have the rearwardly and outwardly slanting walls, or faces, of the door, received to outside of the same to act as a wedge-structure to hold the safe-wall toward the door and prevent spreadingr or warping of said wall from the door. The wedge-wall of the door seats upon the wedge-wall of the body regardless of variations in the relation of the hinge to the wedge-wall or the distance between wedge-walls, the construction readily accommodating itself ,to such variations as there may be in manufacture. A seating of the wedge-wall of the door upon the wedgewall of the body is assured, the door moving inwardly to greater or less extent to insure such seating, there being sufficient space beltween the ends of the ribs and the bottoms of the grooves and between the reversely slanting faces to permit such selective movements of the door. The space 84 between the lip 7l of the door and the wall of the door-opening further permits such movements.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A-ire-resisting safe comprising a body and a door, and complemental sheet-strips respectively of said body and` of said door located in the plane of the door with said eral direction of said plane when the door is closed to form a fire-resisting joint.

2. In combination, a fire-resisting safe comprising a body having a door-opening provided with a wall, and a door having a margin, opposite sides of said wall provided with forwardly projecting slanting faces having space in front of them, opposite margins of said door provided with rearwardly projecting slanting faces having space in rear of them and received outside said forwardly projecting slanting faces of said wall, and arranged whereby closing movement of said door causes lateral pressure in the general direction of the plane of said door between said slanting faces and said closing movement is arrested by the wedge-action of said faces.

3. In combination, in a fire-resisting safe, a door comprising a sheet-metal margin formed with a rearwardly projecting wedgerib formed of reversely bent portions of sheet-metal having a single angle therebetween, a sheet-metal wall coacting with said door, said sheet-metal formed with a forwardly projecting wedge-rib formed of reversely bent portions `of sheet-metal having a single angle therebetween complemental to said first-named rib, said second-named rib located farther toward the middle of said door than said first-named rib when said door is closed, and means for mounting said door whereby the juxtaposed side-faces of said ribs when said door is closed have pressure between them and the apices of said respective wedge-ribs are spaced from the bases of their complemental ribs.

4. In a fire-resisting safe, the combination of a door having a sheet-metal margin formed with a rearwardly projecting rib and a rearwardly opening groove nearer the middle of said door than. said rib, a sheetmetal wall for said door formed with a forwardly projecting rib and a forwardly opening groove farther from the middle of said door when said door is closed than said second-named rib, the inner face of said first-named rib located across t-he outer face of said second-named rib in said respective grooves when said door is closed, and means for said door to cause pressure between said faces and spacing between said respective ribs and the respective opposite walls of said grooves when said door is closed.

5. In a fire-resisting safe, the combination of a door and a jamb-wall therefor, the margin of said door and said wall having coacting pressure sections between them located substantially parallel with one of the sides A of an acute angle intersecting the front face of said door and projecting laterally outside and rearwardly of said door, said coacting l whereby to cause lateral pressure between said sections by rearward movement of said door, said coacting pressure sections be1n g continued'in said acute angle beyond their normal coacting pressure portions to cause limit of rearward movement of the door solely by the wedging action of the door upon the jamb-wall of said coacting pressure sections.

7. In a {ire-resisting safe, the combination of a door-comprising a sheet-metal margin,

a sheet-metal wall with which said margin cooperates when said door is closed, said sheet-metal wall having a forwardly projecting rib and a groove at the outer face of said rib formed up therein by reversely` bending portions of said lsheet-metal -of lsaid wall, said sheet-metal margin of said door having a rearwardly projectin rib and a groove at the inner face of sai last-named rib formed up therein by reversely bending` portions of said sheet-metal of said margin,

said ribs being wedge-formed at said faces,

and hanging means for said door, oonstructed andi arranged whereby to exert lateral pressure between said inner face and said outer face when said door is closed.

8. In a hre-resisting safe, the combination of a door comprising a sheet-metal margin, a sheet-metal wall with which said margin cooperates when said door is closed, said sheet-metal wall having a forwardly projecting rib and a groove at the outer face of said rib formed up therein by 'reversely bending portions of said sheet-metal of said wall, said sheet-metal margin of said door having a rearwardly projecting rib and a groove at the inner face of said last-named rib formed up therein by reversely bending portions of said sheet-metal of said-margin, said ribs being wedge-formed at said faces, and lhanging means for said door, constructed and arrangedwhereby to exert lateral 'pressure between said inner face and said outer face, with the opposite faces of said grooves and ribs spaced from each other and the apices vof said wedge-formed ribs distanced from the bottoms of said grooves in which they are respectively received when said door` is closed and said lateral pressure between said faces is exerted.

9. Ina fire-resisting safe, the combination of a door comprisin a sheet-metal margin, and a sheet-metal wa 1 with which said margin cooperates when said door is closed, said sheet-metal wall having a groove formed up therein and said sheet-metal margin having aV rib formed up therein received in sai groove distanced farther from the middle of said door than the median portion of said rib when said door is closed, to cause lateral pressure between the inner faces of said roove and said rib when said door is close 10. In a lire-resisting safe, the combination of a door comprising opposite sheetmetal margins, a body comprising opposite sheet-metal jamb-walls of a door-opening with which said opposite margins cooperate when said door is closed, said opposite sheetmetal jamb-walls each having a' groove formed up therein and said opposite sheetmetalmargins each having a rib formed up therein, and hin ing means for said door,

lsaid respective ri s lreceived in said respective grooves when said door is closed, with the median portions of said grooves distanced farther from each other than the distance between the apices of said ribs when said door is closed, to cause lateral pressure between the inner faces of said respective ribs and grooves when said door is closed.

11. In a fire-resistin safe, the combination of 'a door comprlsing opposite sheetmetal marginal walls at opposite margins thereof, a body comprising a door-opening having opposite jamb-walls with'which said opposite mar 'nal walls respectively Cooperate when said door is closed, each of said sheet-metal jamb-wallsv having a wedgegroove formed up therein' and said sheetmetal mar inal walls each. having a wedgerib forme up therein, and hinging means groove when said door is' closed, with the median portion of saidv for said door, said respective ribs received in said respective grooves when said door is closed with the `bottoms of said grooves spaced farther apart than the distance between the apices of said wedge-ribsi when said door is in closed relation, to cause lateral pressure between the respective inner faces\of said wedge-ribs and the respective inner walls of said grooves when said door is closed.

i 12. In a {ire-resisting safe, the combination of a door comprising a sheet-metal margin formed up with a sheet-metal wedge-rib and a wedge-groove at the inner face of said rib, a sheet-metal complemental wall formed up with a sheet-metal wedgerib and a wedge-groove at the outer face of said second-named rib, and hinging. means for said door, said ribs located in said grooves with the apex of each of said ribs located intermediate between the base and the apex of its opposing wed e-rib and with lateral pressure between sai faces to press said faces toward each other respectively in directions away from the opposite faces of said grooves when said door is closed.

13. In a lire-resisting safe, the combination of a door comprising a sheet-metal margin formed up with a sheet-metal wedge-rib and a wedge-groove at the inner face of said rib, a sheet-metal complemental wall formed up with a sheet-metal wedgerib and a Wedge-groove at the outer face of said second-named rib, and hin ing means for said door, said ribs locate in said grooves with the apex of each of said ribs spaced from the bottom of the groove in which it is received, with lateral pressure between said faces and with said ribs spaced from the opposite faces of said grooves when said door is closed.

14. In a fire-resisting safe, the combination of a door comprising a sheet-metal margin formed up with a sheet-metal wedge-rib and a wedge-groove at theinner face of said rib, a `safe-body comprising a jamb-wall of a door-opening formed up with a sheet-metal wedge-rib and a wedgegroove at the outer face of said secondnamed rib to form a door-joint between said door and said body, said door provided with a front flange received across said joint, said flange normally spaced from the portion of said body in rear thereof when the door is closed, hinging means for said door,

and closin means for said door comprisin clamping olts to press said inner face o said first-named rib upon said outer face of said second-named rib with the apices of said ribs spaced from the bottoms of their receiving grooves when said door is closed.

15. In a fire-resisting safe, the combination of a door having a plurality of edges, a body, hinge-mechanism between said door and said body, and a wall having a plurality of sides, said sides respectively provided with forwardly projecting ribs and grooves outside said ribs, said edges provided With a plurality of rearwardly projecting ribs an rearwardly opening grooves inside said last-named ribs, said second;- named ribs received outside said first-named ribs, said ribs having complemental wedgefaces, said wedge-faces of said door movable cross-wise of said wedge-faces of said body, with said respective ribs received in `said respective grooves with the apices or' said ribs spaced from the bottoms of said grooves when said door is closed, and the relations of said wedge-faces and said hin e-mechanism being such as to cause full wecge seating of said door-ribs on said wall-ribs to prevent seating of said ribs in the bottoms of said grooves.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL S. MILLICE.

In presence of RALPH L. HrNns, Danno WERNsrNo. 

